The countdown until the New Year's Eve countdown has officially began—at least for us (what can we say, we're eager to see the ball drop and bust into 2012). And while we swap predictions as to what next year will bring, we're still counting down our favorite moments, people, movies and more of the last year.

Like yesterday's big batch of reasons, which included the always-entertaining troublemakers Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen. And America's numero uno sweetheart Sandra Bullock (and her ability to stay classy and quiet when it comes to cheating exes).

But those are just a few of the 99 reasons we still love Hollywood, and today we're dolling up nine more delights:

45. The Return of Musicals! The music is back, people! Sure, maybe it never left us, but we can't deny that we love a good musical number. Which is why we're thrilled that The Muppets and animated fare like Rio allowed for some serious tunage on the big screen. And with Glee in its third season and still going strong, we think it's safe to say the boob tube won't be lacking in show tunes anytime soon. And that's all forgetting about, ya know, actual theater musicals like The Book of Mormon that got tons of attention this year.

44. Beyoncé Keeps Preggers Private. Not only can Queen B sing and dance, but despite all her years in H'wood (or maybe because of it, probably) she knows how to keep her personal life to herself. Sure, she debuted her baby bump in a way fit for the future celebuspawn of the biggest couple in hip-hop (on the red carpet), but the fact that she kept her pregnancy a secret for as long as she did is impressive in and of itself.

FRIOLO/Dean/NPG.com

43. Jake Gyllenhaal Walking. Even though Jakey-poo lay fairly low on the acting front (only starring in Source Code, which to be fair was really friggin' cool) and even lower on the relationship front after splitting from Taylor Swift , we loved seeing paparazzi pictures of him and his grizzly beard walking or running or taking the subway. It's the little things in life, right?!

42. George Clooney Who cares if George ever marries again? We certainly don't. And we're obviously in the minority on this score, as half of celeb-obsessed America seems to concentrate on nothing but whether or not George's latest date (most recently the fab 'n' fierce Stacy Keibler) gets that coveted Clooney engagement ring. So what if handsome Georgey wants to play the field for eternity? Most babes who hook up with the fun dude pretty much know that's gonna be the score, Elisabetta notwithstanding.

41. Beginners. We love a good LGBT-themed movie as much as the next gay, and Beginners was that movie. Christopher Plummer plays an elderly man who comes out after his wife passes away. And he's flawless, which is probably why he earned a SAG nomination for Best Actor. And if that isn't a good enough sell, well, Ewan McGregor is in it too!

40. Dancing With the Stars. It might sound corny, but we definitely think DWTS has broken some serious boundaries in its days. We haven't seen any other show on primetime network TV (at least none that we can think of) that's been willing to break down boundaries and allow Americans to root for people like Chaz Bono and Margaret Cho. And while we're dying for a same-sex dance couple on the show, with how mostly progressive it's been so far, we figure that's just a season or two away.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

39. The Big C. Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Laura Linney has kept us captivated for two seasons now on the Showtime dramedy centering around a woman dealing with her cancer diagnosis. Laura is surrounded by an all-star cast (including a guest stint by the adorable Hugh Dancy and Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe) and the writing is superb. Every time we think we've got a handle on our emotions, The Big C throws us a curveball that leaves us laughing or crying or sometimes both.

38. TV Is Funny Again. So maybe there has always been a funny show or two or three on the air, but we can't remember the last time there were somany shows that constantly had us laughing: like Modern Family (of course), Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, Happy Endings and the list goes on and on.

37. Melissa McCarthy That babe is as funny as she is an iconoclast in the world of TV stick-thin stars. McCarthy really does have it going on—and she's as unafraid to fart and puke (she's told us so!) as she is to proudly show off her larger frame. Which, in Hollywood, is about as rare as saying you're a registered Republican, so give the woman props already, whether you want to or not.